All 33.0 - Fall of the Firehawk
As they waited at the inn on the edge of the devastation caused by the Firehawk, Pierce used Sending to contact Magdha to inform her that her presence was required to seal the rift that she had promised to assist with. She replied that she was busy, and would send a servant. Pierce cast the spell again, stressing that whoever this servant was, they had to be intelligent and not a summon, since they would be required to stay and mind the ritual for some time. She waved him off verbally. Meanwhile, Caitlyn contacted her husband, and said that she had a lead as to the location of a possible moon pearl. When they were finished at the Seat of the Firehawk, she could hopefully lead them to a certain tomb in the Underdark using some ancient, vague directions she had uncovered. The emperor buried there had a staff that had numerous effects on extraplanars and held a round gem: it sounded like a moon pearl at the very least. When Ryuji explained this to the others, some people, particularly Lucca, were wary of Caitlyn rejoining the group. Everyone eventually agreed that it was really the only plan, and they did need at least one other moon pearl. The next morning, Pierce and Gemini went to Engiadina to collect Magdha’s substitute. At her condo, they found no trace of her, but did find a trained chimera, a bag of treats, and a note saying to reward Icarus for any good behaviour. Pierce, already at the end of his rope, ranted at Gemini for a few minutes before deciding that, since a chimera was not intelligent enough to cast the ritual and he needed someone immediately, he really only had one option. Pierce went to Caitlyn’s office at the university, where he spoke to her tersely for a few minutes, before asking where he could find Itzli, who had been overlooked and left here in this city a few weeks ago. With her assistance, Pierce found the scribe. He apologized for being terrible and leaving him with basically no warning, but hadn’t wanted him to get mixed up in the deadly endgame with the All. Now, he was going to be an even more terrible person and ask him to maintain the ritual at the Seat of the Firehawk: a scorched, barren waste miles from anywhere. Itzli still agreed, as it was what his king ordered. Pierce, Gemini, Itzli and Icarus returned and updated the group on the new plan. Itzli and Icarus stayed behind while the others set off towards the Seat of the Firehawk. Pierce would start the ritual; once the Firehawk was dealt with and the area secured, Itzli would take over. As they approached the area, the temperature continued to increase until Ryuji had to turn back. By the time they arrived, the ground was practically on fire; the air burned, and the pillar of flame towered over them. As they stood by the ruins that surrounded the Seat, they saw what had to have been an All try to manifest from thin air. The pillar appeared to turn somehow, and a jet of flame incinerated the invader. Noticing them, the Firehawk, who hovered in the pillar, turned and addressed Victor as a betrayer. He carried the Firehawk’s symbol: it was his job to spread the flame, and instead, he had attempted murder. This would not be forgiven. With that, the Firehawk began its assault. Pierce used his Rod of the Dragon on Cress, turning him into a large red dragon. Protected from fire and equipped with both wings and powerful claws, the elf had become a sight more effective against the destructive fey. The group fought valiantly against their firey foe, though it seemed to return their own attacks against them with an almost equal force, aided by its own magic. The Firehawk also summoned two elementals: a fire elemental and a lava elemental, both of which did nothing to improve the local environment. Meanwhile, a magically-summoned falcon stole Cohen’s pistol, to his infinite rage. Eventually, their combined might brought the Firehawk to its knees. When it could no longer sustain any more damage, it rose up and exploded in a flaming meteor. It was only the fire-absorbing magic from Cohen and Lucca that allowed the group to escape without casualties. After the explosion, a variety of fire-themed equipment rained down, their previous owner no longer alive. Among the objects was a mythical robe that would grant the wearer a wide variety of fire-based powers, along with a flaming aura. However, it required prospective bearers to pass a test of fitness that would surely kill a weaker person. Lucca eventually settled on taking the robe; the other items were split among the rest, although a Portable Hole that seemed inexorably drawn towards an otherwise-useful Bag of Holding was determined to be thrown into the ocean, to dissuade the two objects from meeting. Category:Advent of the All